Donkeyskin
by suburbantimewaster
Summary: When Princess Hilda's mother dies, her father reveals her secret longing for her. Now she's on the run and has to rely on a chance meeting with Jefferson to survive. Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Kasey runs a bakery with her loving father. However, horror lurks behind the scenes. Loosely based on the Donkeyskin Fairy Tale. Jefferson/OC. Rated M for incest implications.


A/N: Well, I got myself obsessed with Once Upon A Time and Jefferson, so another plot bunny formed in my mind. At this point, I'll never get anything finished.

I opened up commissions and art trades on my deviantart profile. Take a look, if you're interested. I'm also offering the chance for you to give your character a cameo in my story

If you recognize it from Once Upon A Time, I don't own it.

* * *

Princess Hilda gazed at the outdoors from her balcony. The sun shined, the birds chirped, the trees flourished, the horses ran along the pasture and there was her father's prized donkey in its place of honor. Hilda felt tears roll down her eyes as she instinctively clasped the amulet around her neck, recalling when her mother gave it to her as a young girl.

* * *

Hilda put on her mother's crown and smiled at the chess pieces on the floor.

"My citizens, as your newly crowned Queen, my first proclamation is that all pastries will be free!" she declared, treating the chess pieces as if they were her citizens.

"Then how will the bakers make money?" a wise, yet feminine voice, said from the doorway.

Hilda turned to see her mother, Queen Aura, watching her with a smile.

"Mother!" Hilda said, her face turning red as she took the crown off. "Sorry, I'll return your crown."

"First, you have a problem to fix," her mother said, matter-of-factly. "How will the bakers make a living if their products are free?"

"Well..." Hilda said, contemplative. "Don't bakers also make bread and flour?"

"Millers make flour, bakers make bread," Aura explained. "Though, bakers do often double as millers and vice versa."

"If they make bread and flour, then they haven't lost their business," Hilda defended.

"Most of their business also comes from pastries," Aura explained, putting her hands on her hips. "If you make the pastries free, then the bakers will have no money for food."

"Then I'll eliminate money!" Hilda said, snapping her fingers as her face lit up. "That way, no one has to go hungry!"

Hilda glance at Aura hopefully, who shook her head.

"Then what will everyone work for?" Aura asked.

"They will work to..." Hilda began, puzzled at what to say until it came to her. "Better themselves, and the rest of the Kingdom."

Hilda gazed at her mother, hoping she found the right answer. Her hopes came crashing down when Aura shook her head.

"I'm afraid that you're expecting too much from your citizens," Aura told Hilda.

"What do you mean?" Hilda asked, confused.

"People need motivation for themselves in order to work," Aura explained, gently. "People who work such jobs as maids and stable boys only do so because they have to afford enough to feed themselves and their families." Aura bent her head down to look her daughter in the eye. "Not to mention that every citizen would not want to stay in our Kingdom."

"Then how would they be able to travel without money?" Hilda asked.

"Exactly," Aura said, smiling at her daughter.

"So, no matter what decision I make," Hilda said, removing her mother's crown in sorrow. "Something bad always happens."

Aura grabbed the crown from Hilda and place it on her head. "You can't resign now, Your Majesty," she told her daughter with a smile. "You still have a problem to solve."

"I remove my previous declaration," Hilda said, feeling her mother's crown get heavier. "I'm terribly sorry citizens. I suppose I'm not cut out to be your queen."

Aura bent down and put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Why would you say that?"

"Because..." Hilda said, gazing at her mother with pride. "You and father rule the Kingdom with such strength and valor. The first few minutes I run the Kingdom, I've already screwed up."

It was true, Queen Aura was admired throughout the Kingdom for her wisdom, courage and beauty. With her long raven hair, chocolate brown eyes, pale complexion and purple ballgown, her very presence commanded respect. As for Princess Hilda, she was just a little girl in a pink dress pretending to be something much greater.

"You mustn't be fooled by appearances, Hilda," Aura advised her daughter.

"What do you mean?" Hilda asked.

"While I do appear confident, there are many times I find myself lost and confused," Aura explained.

Hilda gasped. "You? But you're Queen!" she said in shock. "Everyone loves and admires you!"

"Let me ask you something," Aura said. "How heavy does that crown feel?"

"Heavy," Hilda said, remembering Aura's inquiry from before.

"And I must wear that crown every day," Aura explained.

"Wow!" Hilda said, looking at her mother with a newfound respect. "How do you not collapse under the pressure?"

"By looking back on my training," Aura said, clasping the red amulet she wore around her neck. "And thinking of all the people in our Kingdom whose lives will _collapse_ if your father and I don't run it well."

"Training?" Hilda repeated confused.

Aura laughed pleasantly. "I wasn't born a queen," she explained. "Like you, I started out as a princess."

"So, a princess is a queen in training?" Hilda asked.

"Exactly," Aura told Hilda with a smile.

Hilda gave the crown back to Aura and grabbed her tiara from her dresser, wearing it with pride. "Then I declare that I will continue my training until the time comes that I can switch my tiara for a crown with no regrets!" she said, putting her hands on her hips and standing proudly.

Aura beamed at her daughter with pride and returned to a standing position. Then she held her amulet and looked at it, as if considering something.

"I was going to give this to you on your birthday," she said, removing the amulet around her neck. "But you've proved that you've earned the right to wear this."

Aura put the amulet around Hilda's neck.

"Thank you, Mother!" Hilda said, gazing at the blood red stone around her neck. "It's beautiful!"

"Yes and, like your crown, it's more than just jewelry," Aura began. "My mother gave me this amulet when I was about your age, and now I pass it on to you."

"Why?" Hilda asked.

"Because, the time will come when you will be crowned Queen," Aura explained, seriously. "When it does, you will gaze at that amulet and remember the lesson you learned today."

* * *

Hilda gazed at the amulet in her hand, remembering her mother's first lesson.

"Every decision you make comes with consequences."

Hilda turned away from the view and pushed the white curtains out of the way, retreating back into her room. She gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror. With her long straight raven black hair, oval shaped face covered in light pink blush, dark blue eyes surrounded by black eyeliner and dark blue eye shadow, ruby red lips, and slightly tan complexion, people said she grew up to be just as beautiful as her late mother. Some would go even further, and say she was even more beautiful than her mother could ever be.

Her attire was a long and strapless black ball gown with the bodice outlining her curves. Despite Hilda having very small breasts, her corset pushed them together to give the illusion of cleavage. Hilda's black gloves were long enough to go past her elbow. She also wore a pair of golden heart shaped earrings along with her blood red amulet and golden tiara. It was a time of mourning, and her outfit portrayed it divinely.

"Your highness!" a high voice said that Hilda knew all too well.

Hilda turned to the doorway to see her lady-in-waiting, Sarah, stand at the door.

"You may enter," Hilda told her.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Sarah said, curtseying and then entered her room.

"Sarah, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Hilda?" Hilda asked her, smiling.

"Your Highness," Sarah said, alarmed. "I thought we discussed that it wouldn't be proper."

"You are correct," Hilda said, changing to a serious tone. "In public, you are to show respect my addressing me with the proper terms." Hilda's tone softened as she returned to smiling. "In private, we are close friends and will behave as such."

"Of course, Your Hi—," Sarah began, then relaxed a little. "Hilda."

"Thank you," Hilda said, maintaining her smile. "What have you come to me for?"

Sarah held up a fancy piece of paper and gave Hilda the news. "His royal highness requests your presence at a ball."

"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse," Hilda said, in a matter of fact tone. "I am still in mourning."

"Yes, of course," Sarah said, about to leave until she turned back to Hilda. "Your Hi—Hilda, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Hilda said, keeping her cheerful demeanor, despite the sorrow she felt inside. "You may ask me anything."

"How long will you be in mourning?" Sarah asked.

"Until the time for mourning has ended," Hilda said, as if it was a common fact.

"Forgive me, Your High—Hilda," Sarah began. "It's just that, you haven't set foot outside the palace since your mother's death. Surely, your mother wouldn't want you to put your life on hold."

"As heir to the throne, my mother would want me to maintain the proper image," Hilda explained. "For me to go to a ball before the mourning period ends would be improper."

"Of course, sorry I bring it up," Sarah said, an awkward silence filling the room. "Hilda, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"What?" Hilda asked.

"When I was little, I always fantasized about being a princess, like you," Sarah explained, looking into Hilda's sorrowful eyes. "Now, I see that being a princess isn't as easy as having beautiful dresses and lovely jewelry."

"You are correct," Hilda told her. "While being princess does come with certain luxuries, it also comes with a huge burden."

"Once again, I'm sorry about your mother's passing," Sarah told her. "She was a very wise, and very kind ruler. I hope, whoever becomes your father's second wife, will live up to her legacy."

"Thank you, Sarah," Hilda said, as Sarah left.

Hilda's attention returned to her amulet. Of course, her father would be expected to take a new wife. The Kingdom will mourn for her mother, but will continue to prosper under her father's leadership, and that of whoever was to become his bride. Hilda told herself that she would show kindness to whoever the Kingdom's new Queen would be. However, while the new Queen might take her mother's title, she could never replace Aura in the hearts of the people, or in the hearts of her and her father.

In some ways, Hilda felt a great deal of pity for the woman who would have to follow her mother's footsteps. She always assumed that, when her parents died or retired, she would take over the throne with either a duke or a prince from a foreign Kingdom as her husband. Then, she would have a child and the process would begin again. Now, it was only her father who would take a new Queen, and Hilda would still be a princess without her mother to train her.

Hilda heard someone clear his throat at the doorway and turned to see her father enter.

"Father, how lovely to see you," Hilda said, looking into the calm eyes of her father.

"Hilda," King Emmanuel greeted, indicating her black attire. "I see that you're still in mourning."

"As are you, Father," Hilda responded, indicating his black attire.

"I suppose your mother's passing had a strong effect on us," Emmanuel stated. "But I'm not here to talk about your late mother, may she rest in peace."

"Is this about who you'd like to take as Queen?" Hilda asked.

"Yes, and it just occurred to be that you are not yet engaged," Emmanuel pointed out.

"I'm afraid not," Hilda said, "But there will be plenty of time for me to find a husband. For the sake of our Kingdom, finding a new Queen is far more urgent."

"I'm afraid finding a new wife won't be easy," Emmanuel explained in a melancholy tone. "You see, I promised your mother, on her death bed, that I wouldn't take another wife until I found someone wiser and more beautiful than your mother."

"I suppose that would be a difficult search," Hilda said, in deep thought.

"Not as difficult as finding a husband worthy of you," Emmanuel said, gazing at his daughter.

"Perhaps, when the mourning period is over, we could organize a ball," Hilda said, contemplating the situation. "We'll invite all noble men and women who are not currently attached to the palace and choose from the available suitors. Since you already have an heir, I don't think it will be necessary to limit your selection to women of child bearing age."

"There's no need to go to all that trouble," Emmanuel said with a comforting laugh. "I already found a solution to both our problems."

"Really?" Hilda asked, intrigued. "What would your solution be, Father?"

"One that will grant me a wife more beautiful and clever than your mother," Emmanuel said, bending down on one knee. "And will grant you a husband worthy of your perfection." Emmanuel grabbed Hilda's hand, to her shock. "Princess Hilda, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Any sadness Hilda felt was replaced by pure horror.

* * *

A/N: Poor Hilda. First her mother dies, and now her father wants to marry her. How's she getting out of this? Anyone who's read the original fairy tale knows how this goes down. However, there will be a few changes in order to fit Once Upon A Time. I will tell you that the father won't be easily forgiven, in my version. However, I am worried about making him such an over-the-top evil that all he's missing is a top hat and a mustache to twirl. The next chapter will take place in Storybrooke and this fanfic is Jefferson/OC.


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